Craig Vetter to headline AMA Hall of Fame breakfast at Daytona

Publish Date:

Jan 10, 2014

PICKERINGTON, Ohio - AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Craig Vetter -- motorcycle inventor, designer and racer -- will be the featured guest at the annual AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Breakfast at 7 a.m. March 14 at the Daytona 500 Club on the infield at Daytona International Speedway in Florida.

"Craig Vetter's impact is far-reaching, starting with the design of the iconic Windjammer fairings of the 1970s, continuing with motorcycle designs like the Triumph X-75 Hurricane and the limited-edition 'Mystery Ship,' and enduring more recently with a resurrected series of motorcycle fuel economy runs that push the boundaries of everyday streamlining," said Jeff Heininger, chairman of the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation, which oversees the Hall of Fame. "We're proud to host motorcycling's design professor emeritus for this year's Breakfast at Daytona."

The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Breakfast at Daytona fundraiser, during 2014 Daytona Bike Week, will feature a live interview with Vetter on stage, an audience Q&A period and an autograph session with Vetter and other Hall of Famers in attendance. The event is open to the public, and tickets are available now at www.motorcyclemuseum.org. Proceeds benefit the AMHF and the Hall of Fame.

Craig Vetter founded the Vetter Corp., a company that became famous for its touring and sport fairings for motorcycles from the late 1960s into the 1980s. Vetter's designs always inspired new directions in motorcycle design.

"My first motorcycle design was in 1964, the Daytona Display for Bridgestone motorcycles," Vetter said. "My college professor was concerned: 'Motorcycles... are you sure?' In those days, motorcycles were not a part of nice society. We were not respected and our motorcycles certainly did not belong in museums."

IMAGE: Vetter with the late Don J. Brown

Vetter was a racer himself at Daytona in 1976. Later, his company sponsored the Kawasaki team when Reg Pridmore became the 1978 AMA Superbike Champion. He also sponsored famous Vetter Fuel Economy Contests where motorcycles squeezed more than 400 miles out of a gallon of gas -- a program he continues to do at the annual AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days in Ohio.

Vetter said he's looking forward to making the journey from his home in Carmel, Calif., to Daytona during Bike Week to meet fans and catch up with old friends.

"Today, motorcyclists occupy a new position in American culture," Vetter said. "Today, it is cool to ride. We even have a Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum. How did all that happen?

"I lived this period. I helped make those changes. Along the way, I met the greats of motorcycling. I look forward to telling some of my stories at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Breakfast at Daytona, where it all began for me 50 years ago."